Vines
by Fabled Wings
Summary: Even if it's been years since you last saw them, there were some people you could always turn to for advice. Chibishipping for the YGO Fanfiction Contest S10R8.


Vines

"_Hello, you've reached Yuugi Mutou's voicemail. Leave a message after the beep, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."_

_Beep_.

"It's been awhile hasn't it, Yuugi? It's me, Mokuba! This is already my third year in high school. Time sure flies, doesn't it? Brother tells me you're now studying at a university in Paris – how is it over there? … Anyway, I'm calling because I'd like to ask you some questions, if it's alright? Brother's busy with plans for the Duel Academia and I don't think he has the answers to my questions… that's a rare one, haha! Yeah, so, call me back soon? Thanks!"

* * *

"_This is Mokuba Kaiba. I'm afraid he's not available right now, please leave a message after the beep."_

_Beep_.

"It sure has been a long time, Mokuba! I'm sure you're taller than me now, haha. It's great here in Paris, the environment and scenery and people, it's wonderful! I'll be free for most of tomorrow, so try to catch me then? I have this report to finish, so later!"

* * *

"_Hello, you've reached Yuugi Mutou's voicemail. Leave a message after the beep, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."_

_Beep_.

"Aw man, I missed you again. Am I messing up the time zones somehow? I'd send you an e-mail but there's a lot I want to ask… by the way, I'm a whopping one-hundred-and-seventy-two centimetres now! Still a lot shorter than brother, though. I wonder if it's really true that I'm taller than you? It's been three years since we last saw each other, hasn't it? Have a good day, Yuugi!"

* * *

"_This is Mokuba Kaiba. I'm afraid he's not available right now, please leave a message after the beep."_

_Beep_.

"We seem to pick really bad times to call each other, huh? It was two in the morning when you called the other time, when I was already asleep. We really have to pay attention to the time differences! Paris should be eight hours behind Japan so I thought I'd catch you if I called right after class today… looks like I lucked out. Let's see if third time's the charm, yeah?"

* * *

Mokuba had sought refuge in the shelter of an internet café, escaping the cold, blistery air of a January afternoon. He occupied a seat in the very corner of the café, and had shed off his coat but kept his scarf pulled slightly over his chin in the hope that he would be less recognizable that way. The café was fairly empty in the first place, an inconspicuous little establishment tucked in a corner between a bookstore and a boutique; from his vantage point, only one other occupant was visible, an old man with a newspaper and a cup of coffee in front of him.

He had brought along some holiday assignments and had his laptop open in front of him, typing out an essay that would be due when school started. It was a surprise shift when Seto decided to send him to Domino High School instead of having him continue homeschooling – his brother had never explicitly stated a reason for doing so, but nonetheless Mokuba was glad for the change. It was always him and his brother, and the only friends he had were met through acquaintance as well, the old guard from Battle City. There had been worries that his social status would make studying in a public school slightly inconvenient, but the hubbub that Seto Kaiba's younger brother would be attending school died down in the first few days. After all, he wasn't his brother, and although he still held the position as vice-president of the company, it was in name more than anything else. The person that sat at the back of the class taking notes and doing assignments was plain old Mokuba. He had even made friends that simply liked him for who he was and not because of his background.

He had been typing for two hours straight now, and his cup of hot chocolate had been emptied; Mokuba stood up, stretched his arms over his head, and went over the counter to order another cup. Right as he returned to the table with a new cup of the steaming brown liquid in his hands, his cell phone he had left beside his laptop buzzed. He absently wondered who could be calling him at this time, before realization hit him and he rushed over to pick it up.

"_Hello? Mokuba?"_

"Yuugi!" Mokuba grinned as he sat back down in his seat, glad to hear the voice he was expecting. "We've finally caught the right timing!"

"_As they say, third time's the charm!"_ Yuugi laughed. _"I hope it's not a bad time right now."_

"I'm not doing anything nearly important, don't worry," Mokuba said, as he closed his laptop. His essay could wait.

"_Great! So, how's it been?"_

"The usual. There's school, basketball, attending events for brother on occasion, and since it's winter vacation now there's even less for me to bother with."

"_Hmm… found anyone you fancy?"_

"Wha- no," Mokuba said embarrassedly. "… Not yet, anyway."

"_Surely girls would be attracted to you?"_

"I'm not attracted to any of them."

"… _Oh."_

"… It's just because I haven't found the _one_, you know."

"… Oh_,"_ Mokuba heard an awkward chuckle in the other end. _"Forgive me, but the way you put it, I just jumped to conclusions."_

"It's alright, I know how easy it is to assume when it comes to such topics."

"_That's true. By the way, sorry to inform you, Mokuba, but I'm taller than you right now," _Mokuba could hear the unconcealed glee in Yuugi's voice.

"Darn it!" He complained, laughing. "Ah well, I'm just happy that I grew over one-hundred-and-seventy in the first place."

"_Yeah. Hey, you mentioned basketball earlier. How did you get on the team? I thought the coach had a height requirement."_

"Takuto-sensei saw me jump for the net while playing on the court with the other boys one day after school… and I think he said I had good suspension, whatever that means. So that's how I ended up on the team by accident as the shortest basketball player in Domino High's history."

"_Brought in any wins yet?"_

"Um, one with Mashiba, but that's it. Honestly I always feel that it's my fault that we keep losing in the past year, but coach always insists that I just need to realize my potential even though he clearly sees the other guys shooting dirty looks at me."

"_Honda did tell me that Takuto-sensei tends to be over-optimistic… Y'know, it's really nice just talking like this, huh?"_

"Yeah," Mokuba smiled. "It's a good feeling."

"_I think we're missing the point of this call, though. Mokuba, didn't you have questions for me?"_

"Right," he remembered why he called Yuugi those weeks ago in the first place and leaned against the back of his chair. "You know how it's my third year in high school?"

"_Uh huh."_

"So I'll be attending college next year… but I don't have any idea what I want to do. I would ask brother, but…"

"… _but Kaiba's never been to college."_

"Yeah. And also because I think you're the only person on my contact list that could give me a straight answer."

"_Well,"_ Yuugi started, and Mokuba eagerly pressed his phone to his ear. _"I'm not sure how to begin…"_

"So much for a straight answer," they shared a chuckle. "You're studying classical languages now, right?" Yuugi made a sound of affirmation. "So, what spurred you on? What made you interested in that? When did you find out that it was the right course for you?"

"_Slow down, slow down,"_ a short chortle, before he continued, _"Hmm, I guess it stems from my desire for friends. Before Atem, I was often alone and bullied, you know? Friendship was what I wished for when I completed the Millennium Puzzle. And over time, that evolved into the desire to communicate with more people. It just… happened."_

"Sounds like you got really lucky," Mokuba sighed. "I don't really know where else to start though."

"_Um, it would be really helpful to go to some university exhibits, grab some brochures, ask how each school is like, what you can expect there… or you can do some online searches, pick out schools you wan- _stop that!"

"What?"

"… _Sorry, I'm kind of helping my roommate take care of his cat right now, and the pest's been tripping me up. So yeah, learn all you can about them."_

"I kind of want to study overseas like you, though," Mokuba said, swirling his hot chocolate with the stirrer. "I'm not sure where, but it sounds good to me. Oh, the teachers are giving us one-to-one counselling some time before finals so I should take note of what they have to say too right?"

"_Yeah! That's a good idea. I didn't go because I was already sure what I wanted to do, but Jou and Honda did, and snagged a few brochures off of Chono-sensei for me. If anything, do that."_

"But…" Mokuba tapped his fingers on the table. "Yuugi, would it be a good idea to take a break from schooling?"

"… _Oh, you mean, a gap year?"_

"Yeah, that!" Mokuba said. "Since I'm really undecided for college right now. My interest in anything doesn't hold very long. Last year it was architecture, the year before it was chemistry, and this year it's baking of all things…"

"_Wait, baking?"_

"Seto says my strawberry shortcake is good," Mokuba shrugged. "Although I think it's just him humouring me."

"_I have to try it sometime. It sounds like you do need more time to decide,"_ Yuugi said. _"My roommate actually took two gap years, and hearing his stories almost made me wish I took a gap year or two myself."_

"Wow, really? What did he do?"

"_Volunteering in third-world countries, mostly. Oh, and he joined an expedition to Antarctica! How cool is that?"_

"Woah, he's adventurous. Taking a gap year is sounding better by the second."

"_And it's actually going to be a great addition to your college applications,"_ Yuugi added as Mokuba took a sip from his hot chocolate. _"It seems it would work for you, though. Take a year off and doing something different, rather than run the risk of studying something that doesn't interest you. And there would be so much more time to think about the future since you won't be bogged down by school work and all that."_

"I think I'll get brother's opinion, too. Maybe I can help oversee some of Duel Academia's construction. Oh yeah, did you hear about that, Yuugi? The new duelling school Kaiba Corporation's building?"

"_It was all over the headlines when it was first announced, and Kaiba saw to it that I was informed beforehand. I'm just afraid of him trying to enlist me as one of the teachers, because I'm absolutely certain I'll run the other direction."_

"Pretty sure he won't. Brother already has a list of potential employees and your name isn't on it."

"_That's a relief. Ah, so, I hope I was able to help you?"_

"Yes, actually. Thanks so much Yuugi. Everything's a lot clearer in my head now."

"_Phew. I was almost afraid of beating around the bush too much."_

"I figured it's natural to ask you for advice," Mokuba stated matter-of-factly. "You always know what to say in any situation."

"_You give me too much credit, Mokuba."_

"But it's true! You have no idea how much you and Atem have helped us over the years… well, brother would deny it, but I'm really grateful to the both of you."

"_Now you're making us embarrassed…" _Yuugi said in an amused tone.

"Well, I'm not sorry!"

"… _Looks like my roommate's back,"_ Yuugi suddenly said. _"It was great to hear your voice again, Mokuba!"_

"Great talking to you too, Yuugi!"

"_Ah, I guess this is where we say goodbye, huh? Tell me when you've made your decision, won't you?"_

"I sure will! All the best, Yuugi."

"_And the same goes to you."_

Yuugi was the first to hang up. Mokuba placed his cell phone on the table and opened his laptop, intending to continue his essay from where he left off. He picked up his hot chocolate – which had cooled considerably thanks to the air-conditioning and the phone call – and gulped down a mouthful. He smiled over the cup's rim as he processed the phone conversation he just had. It was nice to know that he had friends to turn to when the need arose.

* * *

A/N: I'm honestly not happy with this at all. I thought it wouldn't be too tough since Mokuba and I share the same birthday but...


End file.
